A Conversation between God and Adam

My journey for the last few years has been a long one. I've spent a great deal of time questioning my faith. While reading the Bible I seem to come up with more questions than the answers I've received. What follows is a quick illustration of sort of the overview I have regarding the Old and New Testaments.

I can imagine Adam asking God a few questions with onlookers:


God - "Adam, you have free will to choose right from wrong.. but be advised, if you choose wrong just once.. you are doomed to eternal damnation in hell".. "but know that I love you and want/require for you to obey me"

Adam – “Huh? If I don’t know what wrong is, how do I have free will to make a ‘wrong’ choice?... you didn’t create us with knowledge of right/wrong, so how do we have free will to even have a chance to choose wrong?”

"God, is it possible for me to not sin?"

God - "well, no.. it's not possible to not sin.. You will sin eventually because you aren't perfect"

Adam – “So then it is not possible for me to always choose not to sin with my ‘free will’?”

God – “No, because you have a sinful nature now and will choose wrong… No one can always choose to do right.”

Adam – “So free will always fails?.. How can man have free will to choose between right and wrong (sin and not to sin) if it isn’t possible to always choose not to sin (right)?... It’s only free for a time? Does that mean I don’t have the freedom to choose not to sin all the time?”

God – “You have the freedom to choose right all the time, but not the ability.”

Adam – “Not even with your help.. if I asked for it?”

God – “No, remember, you will sin eventually because you aren’t perfect.”

Adam - "but I thought I was made in your image and your creation was 'good'.. why aren't I perfect?"

God - "Because you did what I told you not to do, so now everyone that comes after you is eternally damned"

Adam - "I'm so sorry God.. I didn't realize that eating that fruit would affect not only me and Eve, but all generations forever after me".. "you told me that if I eat it, I will surely die (whatever that means).. but you never said anything about all future human generations will die because of it.."

"Can you please forgive me and give me another chance? I promise I'll do better.. I don't want any of my sons to have any chance of ending up in an eternal burning hell"...

God - "Oh, it's too late for that.. the wheels are irreversibly set in motion now, thanks to your sin.. I can't change that"

Adam - "huh? **thinks to himself, I thought you were God**.. I promise Lord, if you would have explained the consequences to me for all mankind, I would have never eaten of it.. I promise I'll do better, please give man another chance"

God - "No, man is forever corrupt and is now in need of a savior"

Adam - "A savior?.. A savior from what, Lord?"God - "A savior from the hell place I created for you"

Adam - "I understand that I am to be punished.. but what have my grandchildren done?"

God - "They are corrupt with sin because of what you did in the garden"

Adam - "Cain, Seth, et al... I'm so sorry... I didn't know"

God - "the whole earth is corrupt, I am going to destroy it.. I'll save Noah and his sons/family because he is the only righteous man on earth"

Noah - "Thank you Lord, but am I not a descendent from Adam? I thought all mankind was corrupt since he ate the fruit?"

God - DOH! "Well, I'm saving you anyway.. do your best and sin no more"..

Noah - "huh?.. I'm already corrupt and incapable of abstaining from sin.. what shall I do?"

God - "yes, that's why I'm going to send a savior.. to redeem all mankind from his corrupt and sinful self"

Noah - "Great news, Lord! but I sorta wish you'd thought about that last year.. maybe you could have sent the savior while the rest of my family and friends were still alive.. and given them a chance to avoid hell?"

“I’m not sure what was accomplished by the flood if my family, who you charged to replenish the earth, is still corrupt from Adam’s sin?”

God - "well.. Never mind that.. I can see the world is still corrupt even after I purged everything in it except your family"

Noah - "I'm sorry, Lord.. It's all Adam's fault!"

Ezekiel - "Lord, if I may interrupt here for a moment.. in my book, chapter 18 verses 1-9, you told me to tell the Israelites that if a man keeps your decrees and does good and judges fairly between man and man, he will be considered righteous and he will surely live..""When you told Adam he will surely die, you meant the start of a chain reaction leading man to eternal punishment.. so by 'surely live' do you mean that man can avoid this eternal punishment?"

God - "Hi Ezekiel.. Yes, If I said that, then yes, that man will avoid punishment"

Ezekiel - "So then that righteous man doesn't need a savior to pay for his sins?"

God - "Uh.. well yes, he still needs a savior because of Adam's fateful sin"

Ezekiel - "I'm confused, Lord.. You told me in my book, chapter 18 verse 19 and 20: "Yet you ask, 'Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?' Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. 20 The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him...

"If the son doesn't share the guilt of the father, then how come all mankind is doomed because of what Adam did?"

"you also said: "But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. 22 None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live."

God - "Hmmm... but that was the laws I gave Moses.. you know it is impossible to keep those strict laws.. I only gave you those laws to reveal the sin in you.. Didn't you read Paul's letters?"

Ezekiel - "who is Paul? ..... At any rate, you said if we keep these laws and decrees that we will not die.. When you gave the laws to Moses, you never mentioned that they were temporary or just a warm-up to any savior you were planning on sending.. you said your laws were perfect and everlasting"

God - "Yes, but man still needs a savior and the laws weren't designed to save them from hell... also, these laws were only meant to make you aware of your sinful nature.. they weren't designed for you to follow them perfectly.. no one can.. read Paul's epistles and Acts of the Apostles"

Moses - "forgive me for butting in, Lord.. but you told me to tell the people that these laws were not too difficult for them or out of their reach, and that they can obey them (Deu 30:11-14)"

God - "Yes, well.. the sacrificial system I put in place served its purpose for awhile.. I decided to replace it with my son, the savior of the world and atoner of the sins of all mankind, because of Adam's disobedience to me.. so the law and the sacrificial system is no longer in effect"

Ezekiel - "Lord, I have another question.. if the sacrificial system and the mosaic laws are no longer in effect, why did you describe to me the new temple in the new Jerusalem where you will sit on your throne (after Armageddon) and accept daily sin atoning sacrifices?"

"I read the letters from the Paul character, and he said that your laws and decrees were abolished and canceled when the Jesus fellow died on the cross.. if this is true, then why are you restarting the sacrificial system of sin atonement in the new Jerusalem?"

God - "In the new Jerusalem, when I sit on my throne, I will require and accept pure sin, fellowship, grain, etc.. offerings from the priests and the gentiles (if they keep my sabbaths and obey my commandments for them)"

Paul – “Um.. forgive me Lord, but I took the liberty to tell my readers that it didn’t matter to you which day is kept as holy.. One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. (Romans 14:5).. Was I wrong in teaching this?

God – “You did what??”

Ezekiel - "One final question, Lord, if I may... If you sent 'Jesus' to die on a cross for the once and for all sin atonement for all mankind's sins, thus replacing the mosaic laws/sacrificial system... why do men have to continue to offer sacrifices to you for atonement of their sins?"

"I thought you (Or was it Paul?) said 'Jesus' was the ultimate sacrifice? Ultimate means last or final.. Why are we still required to offer sin atonement in the new Jerusalem?.. and lastly, why is there even sin in the new Jerusalem?.. I also read the book "Revelation", and it was eerily similar to my book, but I digress.. at any rate, it said that there would be no more sin in the new heavens and new earth because the devil (whoever that is) and all sinners would be tossed into a lake of fire (whatever that is).. so why must men atone for sins in the new Jerusalem?"

God - "... I changed my mind since I dictated to you in your book, so shut up and color"

Adam – “You changed your mind, Lord?... But you said things were set in motion and you couldn’t change that.. now I’m confused too”

Ezekiel - "You changed your mind? Well, does that mean the Old Testament is obsolete, since it's superseded?"

Paul - "Yes!"

Ezekiel – “Hey, you must be Paul… I noticed in your letters that you often quote the Old Testament in your teachings as references for your readers… Why didn’t you ever quote Jesus?

I mean, isn’t he the one who came to change everything and the center of your ministry? Surely you would have used his many quotes, miracles, etc.. to use as a point of reference when dealing with issues in your church, right?”

Paul – “huh? Well uh.. I taught Christ resurrected..”

Ezekiel – “You had issues with Marriage/divorce, what to do with unclean foods and jews/gentiles at the same dinner table… among other things in the church… Why didn’t you teach what Jesus taught regarding those things?”

Paul – “I received my gospel from no man, but by revelation of Jesus Christ”

Ezekiel – “So in other words, you didn’t know what Jesus taught while on earth, did you? The other gospels weren’t written until well after your ministry… and since you never met Jesus, you don’t know what he said… but Peter knew Jesus and you knew Peter, why didn’t you ask him about Jesus’ earthly ministry?”

Paul – “I received my gospel from no man…”

Ezekiel – “that’s right, you only got your information from visions, etc… I wonder why Jesus never mentioned that he was going to send a different apostle to the gentiles while he was with his disciples.”

Oh well… sorry for that sidebar Lord…

Ezekiel - "Lord, if the Old Testament is superseded, does that make me a false prophet (based on your definition of a false prophet in Deu 18)?... I mean, if what I prophesied isn’t going to take place, what does that make me?"

God - ".............."

Ezekiel – “Lord?… anyone?”

Moses – “Shake it off Zeke.. I’m confused too”

John the Baptist - “You think you’re confused? Take a look at the resurrection accounts!”